Automatic time cut-off.



A. J. RICHARDSON.

AUTOMATIC TIME CUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1914.

1,1 50,453. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

27 Izwcnl'zzwitnesses; 274 g AZbGZ'ZJRCItaIdSOE,

Q JLQ W 1 m1 E STATES PATENT OF ALBERT J. RICHARDSON, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAY LYLE, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC TIME CUT-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammin 17, 1915.

.Application filed May 13, 1914. Serial No. 838,387.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known'that I, ALBERT J. RICHARD- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Automatic Time Cut-Oil, of whic'h'the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices adapted to be operated by timing or clock mechanismto throw a switch so as to cut out of an'electric circuit or circuits electric lamps or other electrically operated devices.

An object'of this invention is the productionof a device ofgthis character which will be simple in construction, positive in action and accurate and reliable in operation.

An important object of this invention isthe provision of simple time cutoff means which will meet with the requirements of fire insurance underwriters.

Another object of this invention is the provision of automatic cut-ofi means com prising an ordinary alarm clock which can be applied to and removed from operative relation with the switch throwing mechanism so as to facilitate winding of the clock and setting of the alarm mechanism.

Simplicity and practicality are the key notes of the invention and other objects and advantages may appear from the subjoined detail description.

The inv'ention'may be variously embodied and I have illustrated two forms.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

' Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying the invention, the switch box door being omitted and the bottom of said switch box being broken away for clearness of illustration. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation substantially on'line indicated by 23 Fig. 1. Solid linesindicate the parts in their circuit closing positions and dotted lines indicate said parts in their circuit opening positions. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig.1, the clock being omitted and a portion of the switch box top being broken away for clearness of illustration. Fig. 4:

is a front elevation embodying another form of the invention.

First considering the form of invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8. The case is preferably of metal and may be of cast iron or the like and comprises a timing mechanism receptacle 1 inits upper portion and a switchbox or support 2 in its lower portion, and said case may be hung on any suitable support as a wall, not shown, by suitable means, there being provided for this purpose perforations 3 to receive suitable fastening means as screws or the like, not shown. The receptacle 1 is provided with timing mechanism which may be in the form of an ordinary alarm clock 4 removably mounted in said receptacle and securely held therein against lateral movement by lugs 5 projecting up from the shelf receptacle floor or switchboX top 6 and designed to engage the legs 7 of the clock.

The clock 4: as is usual with such time pieces is provided, among its other features which are well understood and therefore need no detail description herein, an alarmoperated elementin the form of 'a winding key 8 having a Winged head 9 that is positioned in the lower part of and adjacent the back of the receptacle 1 when the clock 4: is seated in place as in Fig: 2.

The alarm winding key 8 as is usual in clocks of this character is revolved in one direction to wind the alarm and when said alarm is set off turns in the opposite direction and is designed to engage and operate a stop-arm or trigger 10 which normally is yieldingly pressed toward the key by suitable resilient means as a spring-11 fastened by headed pins 12, or the like, to the under side of the boX top 6; and-said arm may be provided with manually operated retracting means in the form of a draw rod 13 which connects at one end to said arm and has its opposite end piercing the side of the receptacle 1 so as to be accessible from the outside of the case.

The stop-arm 10 extends downward from the receptacle 1 through an orifice 100 into the switch-box 2 and is provided at its lower end with a pivot 14: projecting from the rear wall of the switch-box and the front edge of said stop-arm forms a stop 15 adapted to move laterally to and from the path of travel of a stop 16 formed by the rear edge of one arm of a switch operating lever 17 pivoted at 18 to'a bracket 19 which projects forward from the rear wall of the switch-box; the other arm of said lever being angular-1y bent to form a horizental trip 20 that tends to press forward, by reason of a coil tension spring 21, toward the circuit closing bar or bars 22 of a circuit closing device which, in the drawings, is shown as an ordinary knife switch 23 that is well understood and therefore needs no detail description herein. The trip 20 and bar 22 are spaced apart from one an other when the switch is closed and the bar is in the set position, see Fig. 2, so that said bar will receive a hammer-like blow to insure throwingof the switch even when the switch is inclined to stick. The switch shown is two point but it is understood that a three point switch can be used if desirable. The knife switch 23 may control one or more electric circuits and for that purpose may be provided with one or more circuit-closing bars 22' as occasion requires, it being obvious that such circuit closing arms when mounted side, by side in the usual manner can all'be engaged by the single trip 20 which will be made of appropriate length for that purpose. From the foregoing it is seen that the stop-arm 10 and lever 17 are relatively edgewise disposed and that their paths of travel intersect one another.

The circuit-closing bar 22 projects from the switch-box 2 through a slot 24 in the bottom 25 of the switchsbox so that said arm maybe externally operated by hand to open and close the switch in the usual manner. Y

The switch-box 2 is provided with a-door 26 fastened in place by screws 27 or the like.

In practice, supposing the switch 23 of the device to be in circuit with electric lamps or other devices, not shown, from which it is desired to cut ofl the electric current of said circuit so as, for instance, to discontinue thesupply of electric current to said electric lamps, and considering the clock 4: to be properly wound up and running, the. proprietor or attache of the establishment in which it is desired to switch off said lamps, or the like, will remove the clock 4: from its receptacle 1 and set theindicator 28 of the clock at the time it is desired for the device to operate and he will wind the alarm by turning the key 8, all of which is well understood in connection with alarm clocks; and he will then replace the clock in the receptacle in the position shown in Fig.2.

Before replacing the clock or before lea ing the establishment said attache will lose the circuit by operating the handle 29 of the circuit-closing lever 22 to move said handle and lever from the dotted line po' sition A, Fig. 2 to the solid line position B, in the manner usual with operating knife switches. Now supposing, for example, that the attach has set the indicator 28 at the hour of twelve oclock as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the alarm winding key 8 will operate at said hour, it follows that when the hands 30, 31 of the clock indicate twelve oclock, the alarm key 8 will turn, causing the winged head 9 to trip the stop-arm 10, thereby moving the stop 15 out of the path of travel of the lever 17, which will instantly be moved forward by the force of the spring 21 to push out the circuit-closing bar 22 and thus open the circuit and cause cessation of'operation of the lamps or other devices.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 4c the winged head 9 of the alarm key engages a trigger 10 which is an extension of a switch lever 32 of a switch 33 of different form from the switch shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and operating differently than said switch, the switch 33 being a two point switch of the character, for instance known to the trade as Junior No. 5 switch, or the like.

The trigger 10 is moved in one direction and held in one position by a spring 34.

The operation of the form of invention shown in Fig. 4 will be clear from the preceding'description of the operation of the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the only difference being that in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the trigger 10 forms a stop which is thrown out of commission by the alarm key 8 so that the switch can be thrown by the force of the spring 21, whereas in the form shown in Fig. 4:, the trigger 10 forms a positive means directly connected to the switch 33 to operate the same.

Iclaim:

In combination, a, case comprising a. switch-box having a top forming a support which top is provided with an orifice, timing mechanism mounted on said support and having a revolving alarm key, a switch mounted inthe switch-box and provided with a circuit-closing bar, a stop-arm ivoted in the switch-box and exten in through the orilice and into the path 0 travel of the alarm key, a lever pivoted in the switch-box, said lever and stop-arm being edgewise disposed relative to each other and the stop-arm bein disposed edgewise relative to the axis 0 the alarm key to form a stop for said lever, a sprin to hold the stop-arm toward the alarm said lever having an angularly bent arm to form a trip extending back of the handle of the switch and spaced apart from said handle when the switch is closed and the trip is in the set position, and a spring to my hand at Los Angeles, California, this force the trip end of the lever forward when 8th day of May 1914:. the stop-arm is moved out of engagement With the lever, the bottom of said switch- ALBERT RICHARDSON 5 box having aslot through which the circuit- In presence of closing bar extends. JAMES R. TOWNSEND, In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set GEORGE H. HILES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington. D. O. 

